America’s Aging Crisis: Caring For People With Multiple Chronic Conditions

America is getting older — one quarter of the population will be over 65 by 2060, up from just 19 percent in 2025, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report. And most of us will bring at least one chronic condition with us into our golden years.

According to the National Council on Aging, about 93 percent of adults over 65 live with at least one chronic condition, and three-quarters of older adults have at least two. This includes common illnesses like diabetes, chronic heart failure, and cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and stroke. 

This shift in the population creates new urgency around healthcare for people with chronic conditions, according to Thomas Graf, M.D., chief medical officer of Florida Blue. This is why some health insurers, like Florida Blue, are creating Medicare health plans tailored to people with chronic conditions. These plans are called chronic condition special needs plans, and they’re designed to make healthcare easier for people with a lot of health needs.

“The challenge isn’t simply that more Americans are going to live longer,” Graf said. “It’s that many of us will be living longer while managing several health conditions at once.” 

High blood pressure is the most common chronic condition among older adults, affecting 61 percent of people over 65, according to the National Council on Aging. High cholesterol affects more than half of older adults, while about one-quarter have diabetes.

For older adults, these conditions rarely exist in isolation. Someone with heart failure may also have diabetes or high blood pressure — each potentially involving different doctors, medications and treatment plans. The result can be an increasingly complicated and costly health care experience. 

C-SNP plans help by connecting people with the extra support and care coordination they need to manage their health. Instead of figuring it all out alone, a patient would have a team and a personalized care plan to support their individual needs. Their needs could even include help finding community resources, like food and housing, which also affect a person’s health.

“We have to design care around the person rather than expecting them to navigate a fragmented health care system alone,” Graf said. “Creating a system of health where doctors and health plans work together seamlessly to help people understand their care, manage their conditions and focus on what matters most to them.”

1 https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/older-adult-population-projections.html

2 https://www.ncoa.org/article/the-top-10-most-common-chronic-conditions-in-older-adults/